Amesbury Reads

Friday, February 24, 2012

The Teacher's Funeral by Richard Peck* I love books that make me laugh and take me back to simpler times. Highly recommend the audio book.

"If your teacher has to die, August isn't a bad time of year for it," begins Richard Peck's latest novel, a book full of his signature wit and sass. Russell Culver is fifteen in 1904, and he's raring to leave his tiny Indiana farm town for the endless sky of the Dakotas. To him, school has been nothing but a chain holding him back from his dreams. Maybe now that his teacher has passed on, they'll shut the school down entirely and leave him free to roam.

As he did in A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder, Richard Peck creates a whole world of folksy, one-of-a-kind characters here--the enviable and the laughable, the adorably meek and the deliciously terrifying. There will be no forgetting Russell, Tansy, and all the rest who populate this hilarious, shrewd, and thoroughly enchanting novel.

Young readers who have worked their way through Lemony Snicket may well find their next obsession in The Mysterious Benedict Society, a dandy YA debut by novelist Trenton Lee Stewart. This engaging tale has all the elements tweens find intriguing: gifted kids, a dangerous mission, and a secret society where nothing is as it seems. Stewart throws plenty of challenges -- physical, mental, and moral -- in the path of his young protagonists, and readers will have fun solving the riddles and unraveling the clues in this smart, unconventional mystery. Complex, unpredictable, and deeply respectful of children's innate intelligence, The Mysterious Benedict Society is highly recommended for thoughtful preteens. P.S. We loved it, too!

The fabulous foursome readers embraced as The Mysterious Benedict Society is back with a new mission, significantly closer to home. After reuniting for a celebratory scavenger hunt, Reynie, Kate, Sticky are forced to go on an unexpected search--a search to find Mr. Benedict. It seems that while he was preparing the kids' adventure, he stepped right into a trap orchestrated by his evil twin Mr. Curtain.

With only one week to find a captured Mr. Benedict, the gifted foursome faces their greatest challenge of all--a challenge that will reinforce the reasons they were brought together in the first place and will require them to fight for the very namesake that united them.

Join the Mysterious Benedict Society as Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance embark on a daring new adventure that threatens to force them apart from their families, friends, and even each other. When an unexplained blackout engulfs Stonetown, the foursome must unravel clues relating to a nefarious new plot, while their search for answers brings them closer to danger than ever before.

The Summoning by Kelly Armstrong One of the best paranormal series I've read. Fast paced stories with imperfect characters who you find yourself rooting for.

After years of frequent moves following her mother’s death, Chloe Saunders’s life is finally settling down. She is attending art school, pursuing her dreams of becoming a director, making friends, meeting boys. Her biggest concern is that she’s not developing as fast as her friends are. But when puberty does hit, it brings more than hormone surges. Chloe starts seeing ghosts–everywhere, demanding her attention. After she suffers a breakdown, her devoted aunt Lauren gets her into a highly recommended group home.

At first, Lyle House seems a pretty okay place, except for Chloe’s small problem of fearing she might be facing a lifetime of mental illness. But as she gradually gets to know the other kids at the home–charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek, obnoxious Tori, and Rae, who has a “thing” for fire–Chloe begins to realize that there is something that binds them all together, and it isn’t your usual “problem kid” behaviour. And together they discover that Lyle House is not your usual group home either…

If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl—someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I'm as far away from normal as it gets. A living science experiment—not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a sinister organization called the Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters, I'm a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control; I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever.

Now I'm running for my life with three of my supernatural friends—a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch—and we have to find someone who can help us before the Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.

Harry Windower adores blonde, green-eyes Athena Lancaster, but alas, a penniless man like himself has no hope of winning a young noblewoman's hand. To add insult to injury, Athena's brother-in-law and guardian, the Duke of Kielder, has asked Harry to assist Athena in finding a gentleman of her dreams. But the lovesick Harry is cunning as well: as the weeks pass, he introduces Athena to suitors who are horrifically boring, alarmingly attached to their mothers, downright rude, astoundingly self-absorbed, and utterly ridiculous.Athena can't comprehend why she is having so little success meeting eligible and acceptable gentlemen. Indeed, her circle of admirers couldn't be be less admirable - nothing like the loyal, gentle friend she's found in Harry. But how long can Harry's scheme be hidden before it is discovered? And what will Athena do when she uncovers Harry's deception? Escape into a charming regency world in this delightfully romantic comedy of manners that will entertain you to the very last word

Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life life. Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners.

There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long, and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous and that is simply… the emerald is cursed.

Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all she has her best friend—the gorgeous Hale—and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses, realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time.

It's only a few months since Gregor and Boots returned from the Underland, leaving their mother behind to heal from the plague. Though Gregor's family receives frequent updates on her condition, they all know Gregor must return to fulfill his role as the warrior who is key to the Underlanders' survival. Accompanied by his now-talkative little sister Boots, still considered the honorary "princess," Gregor joins forces with another princess--12-year-old Luxa--and Ripred the rat to defend the Underlanders and the vulnerable "Nibblers," or mice, from the rat army.

Everyone in the Underland has been taking great pains to keep The Prophecy of Time from Gregor. Gregor knows it must say something awful but he never imagined just how awful: It calls for the warrior's death. Now, with an army of rats approaching, and his mom and sister still in Regalia, Gregor the warrior must gather up his courage to help defend Regalia and get his family home safely. The entire existence of the Underland is in Gregor's hands, and time is running out. There is a code to be cracked, a mysterious new princess, Gregor's burgeoning dark side, and a war to end all wars.

After getting expelled from yet another school for yet another clash with mythological monsters only he can see, twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is taken to Camp Half-Blood, where he finally learns the truth about his unique abilities: He is a demigod, half human, half immortal. Even more stunning: His father is the Greek god Poseidon, ruler of the sea, making Percy one of the most powerful demigods alive. There's little time to process this news. All too soon, a cryptic prophecy from the Oracle sends Percy on his first quest, a mission to the Underworld to prevent a war among the gods of Olympus.

After a summer spent trying to prevent a catastrophic war among the Greek gods, Percy Jackson is finding his seventh-grade school year unnervingly quiet. His biggest problem is dealing with his new friend, Tyson, a six-foot-three, mentally challenged homeless kid who follows Percy everywhere, making it hard for Percy to have any normal friends. But things don't stay quiet for long.

Dark Mirror by M. J. Putney Time travel and magic, what more could you want?

Lady Victoria Mansfield, youngest daughter of the earl and countess of Fairmount, is destined for a charmed life. Soon she will be presented during the London season, where she can choose a mate worthy of her status.

Yet Tory has a shameful secret—a secret so powerful that, if exposed, itcould strip her of her position and disgraceher family forever. Tory’s blood is tainted . . . by magic. When a shockingaccident forces Tory to demonstrate her despisedskill, the secret she’s fought so hard to hide is revealedfor all to see. She is immediately exiled to Lackland Abbey, a reform school for young men and women in her position. There she will learn to suppress her deplorable talents and maybe, if she’s one of the lucky ones, be able to return to society.

But Tory’s life is about to change forever. All that she’s ever known or considered important will be challenged. What lies ahead is only the beginning of a strange and wonderful journey into a world where destiny and magic come together, where true love and friendship find her, and where courage and strength of character are the only things that determine a young girl’s worth.

The Irregulars return home to 1803 England safely, but their worldview has changed. Not only have their heroic efforts at Dunkirk given them pride and confidence but their dangerous mission has increased their magical powers.

This spare (256-page), erudite "portrait" doesn't attempt to retrace the entire life of Washington; rather, it concentrates on key themes and events that reveal the first president as he really was. As historian Joseph J. Ellis notes, the chapters on slavery and religion are especially beguiling and significant.

In Churchill, Johnson applies a wide lens and an unconventional approach to illuminate the various phases of Churchill's career. From his adventures as a young cavalry officer in the service of the Empire to his role as an elder statesman prophesying the advent of the Cold War, Johnson shows how Churchill's immense adaptability combined with his natural pugnacity to make him a formidable leader for the better part of a century. Johnson's narration of Churchill's many triumphs and setbacks, rich with anecdote and quotation, illustrates the man's humor, resilience, courage, and eccentricity as no other biography before.

The last quarter of the eighteenth century remains the most politically creative era in American history, when a dedicated and determined group of men undertook a bold experiment in political ideals. It was a time of triumphs; yet, as Joseph J. Ellis makes clear, it was also a time of tragedies—all of which contributed to the shaping of our burgeoning nation.

The Professor and the Madman, masterfully researched and eloquently written, is an extraordinary tale of madness, genius, and the incredible obsessions of two remarkable men that led to the making of the Oxford English Dictionary -- and literary history. The compilation of the OED began in 1857, it was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, discovered that one man, Dr. W. C. Minor, had submitted more than ten thousand. When the committee insisted on honoring him, a shocking truth came to light: Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane.

From the Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times columnist and bestselling author of From Beirut to Jerusalem and The Lexus and the Olive Treecomes this smart, penetrating, brilliantly informed book that is indispensable for understanding today’s radically new world and America’s complex place in it.

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. If you could pile all HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they’d weigh more than 50 million metric tons—as much as a hundred Empire State Buildings. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions.

Now Rebecca Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the “colored” ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells; from Henrietta’s small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia—a land of wooden slave quarters, faith healings, and voodoo—to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live and struggle with the legacy of her cells.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Earlier this week LDS Publisher announced it's favorite covers from 2010 and I was so excited to see TWO of the covers I created, Queen in Exile and Finding Rose nominated.

Queen in Exile won in it's category with almost 50% of the votes. Unfortunately, Finding Rose came in second. Because Queen in Exile won, it's now up for best overall cover from 2010. If you think it should win, take a moment to vote for it at LDS Publisher before midnight January8th.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Sunday, April 4, 2010

I'm a people watcher--it's actually one of my favorite past times. I want to know people's back story--why they dress/act/or behave the way they do. Which is exactly why I was excited to read Secret Sisters by Tristi Pinkston because as the back cover says "Ida Mae Babbitt, president of the Omni 2nd Ward Relief Society, didn't mean to become a spy."

Ida Mae Babbit, isn't that a great name?, is one likable character. She's dedicated to a fault, extremely hardworking, and overall a no nonsense type of person. She's not perfect which makes her even better.

When Ida Mea and her Relief Society Presidency learn that a family in their ward is suffering they set out to get the whole story. The family assures Ida Mae that they are fine, but Ida Mae knows they're lying.

And that sets into motion a hilarious scheme to gather information.

First the newly formed "Secret Sisters" plant just a video camera to see if the family has enough to eat. When that doesn't get them the information they want, they add audio only to get more than they bargained for-- there is something going on that shouldn't.

To get to the bottom of the mystery, the "secret sisters" launch a whole new set of plans that include late-night patrols and planting a "spy" only to realize that they may have gotten themselves in over their heads.

Secret Sisters has a bevy of wonderful supporting characters that we can all relate to because we know someone like them. The way that each "Secret Sister" went about doing good was completly different and as the story progressed we, along with Ida Mae, we able to see the strengths of each sister and her service. But these characters were by non means without their faults, and maybe that is why I liked them so much. Their flaws somehow this increased their likability.

If you are looking for a delightful read filled with wonderful characters and a cute little mystery, that all the while celebrates the amazing work done by individuals as we look out for each other than Secret Sisters is just the title. Secret Sisters will make you want to do more and be more. My only complaint with the book, was that it was such a short read...but I guess that means I'll just have to wait until the next book comes out so I can read more about Ida Mae and the rest of the "Secret Sisters."While this title was sent to me for free by Valour Publications, I was not paid to review this title. The review posted was my own.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

A Curse Dark As Gold is a brilliantly woven tale filled with romance, ghosts, witchcraft, folk magic, the struggles of Georgian society set in rural 18th century England. The characters are distinct and language effortlessly weaves the story around you. From start to finish I was drawn into this tale and found myself thinking about the characters and the story long after I had finished it--always a good sign.

Upon the death of her father, seventeen-year-old Charlotte inherits the family business--the Stirwaters woolen mill. But the mill is in trouble and the townspeople talk in hushed voices of a curse on the mill that goes back generations.

Charlotte doesn't believe in the curse, but even she can't explain away some of the strange happenings at the mill. As the mill falls further and further into debt, Charlotte will do anything to save the mill even if it means striking up a bargain with Jack Straw. A strange little man who can spin gold out of straw--for a price.

With an uncle who apparently wants to help and a rival woolen mill poised to take over Stirwaters, Charolotte bargain with Jack Straw appears to created a web that will destroy all she holds dear--the mill, her family, the townsfolk, and her heart.

A Curse Dark As Gold is a brilliantly woven tale filled with ghosts, witchcraft, folk magic, the struggles of Georgian society, and of course romance. Bunce does a wonderful job of creating characters that are distinct and language that weaves the story effortlessly around you.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

I know I haven't posted a review in awhile and it's not because I haven't been reading, I have, but rather because I haven't been able to fully recommend the books I've been reading. (When I started the blog it was with the intention of only blogging about the books I LOVED).

I call it the "they were good except for fill in the blank" problem. The stories were great and kept me entertained, but then "bam" something would be thrown. I have a really hard time when "adult" things are thrown into YA literature. (I don't like seeing it in adult novels, but I feel that the readership is better able to handle it)

A majority of the last novels I've read had references to sex--from fantasies to it actually happening-- drugs, drinking, smoking, violence and language. I even picked up an "award winning" YA novel only to find the main characters having sex in the first paragraph. I didn't read the rest of the novel, but upon further investigating I found that the novel included sex, rape, and sodomy among it's adult themes.

I think glamorizing immorality, drugs, drinking, and smoking in YA novels is a scary trend. It sends the wrong message and forces kids to grow up too soon. We all have to be adults way too soon, why can't we just enjoy childhood a little longer?

Thursday, March 11, 2010

It's bracket time. And while most of us associate March with March Madness, there is another contest I'll be watching. It's the School Library Journal Battle of the Kid's Books. 16 books judged by 15 author will one book coming out as the "greatest of all." I haven't read a fair number of titles on this years lists--to be honest I'm still working my way through last years list--but those that I have I've really liked.

Since last years winner was the The Hunger Games, I'm expecting this year to bring another book that I love. So fill out your bracket and don't forget to vote for the book you want resurrected before the big announcement on April 5th.